


Blossoming Love

by wisteria_hime



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Coming of Age, Crushes, Cute, Dorks in Love, Eclipsed Zine, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Falling In Love, First Dates, First Kiss, Graduation, Happy Ending, Lots of teasing and bickering, Love Confessions, M/M, Minor Character(s), Past Character Death, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms), Slice of Life, Teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-16 18:24:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21275690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wisteria_hime/pseuds/wisteria_hime
Summary: Senior year of high school. The craziest time in a student’s life, as they attempt to make the jump from one path of life to another. For Naruto, he was making the most of his time left here. Being carefree like this would probably never happen again, so he was trying his best to enjoy his senior year. Funnily enough, it wasn’t until he was almost leaving high school that girls were starting to notice him.But what's with Sasuke lately? He keeps staring at Naruto like...all the time, being close to him one minute then acting distant the next, and just acting weird in general. Naruto will find out one way or another, and ends up discovering something surprising about Sasuke, and himself.





	Blossoming Love

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! ^_^ so this is my fanfic I was fortunate enough to be able to contribute to the beautiful Eclipsed Zine - a NaruSasu fanzine ♡ it was a dream of mine to be able to write for a zine one day, and writing for my precious, original OTP of Naruto and Sasuke is more than I could ever ask for, I am very lucky and blessed to be part of such a wonderful project :) thank you to everyone for supporting the zine and purchasing a copy, to all the contributers and the mods as well! Without further ado, I hope you can sit back, relax, and enjoy this story!

Senior year of high school. The craziest time in a student’s life, as they attempt to make the jump from one path of life to another. For Naruto, he was making the most of his time left here. Being carefree like this would probably never happen again, so he was trying his best to enjoy his senior year. Funnily enough, it wasn’t until he was almost leaving high school that girls were starting to notice him.

Right now, for instance, a girl had walked up to him in the hallway on the way to his locker. She had a small pink package clutched in her hands, probably chocolate or candy of some kind. He didn’t recognize her, so she must have been in the year group below him. Naruto still couldn’t really believe it when girls came up to him like this.

“Huh? For me?” Naruto asks, pointing at himself in disbelief. The girl nods quickly at him, her cheeks reddening.

Even though he was confused, he shot her one of his warm smiles, “Thanks, I guess.”

As he ambled over to his locker, he caught sight of Sasuke. How unlucky was he that his locker ended up side by side next to that bastard’s?

Anyways, Sasuke was staring at him, so Naruto asks him point blank, “Oi, what’s your problem?”

Sasuke doesn’t say anything, keeps looking at him with that damn poker face.

“Ah, I know!” Snapping his fingers, Naruto grins knowingly, hanging his arm over Sasuke’s locker door, “You’re jealous, huh?”

Sasuke’s eyes sparked, and Naruto reveled in having guessed it so easily. Really, Sasuke was such a lame guy.

“Jealous of what, exactly?” Sasuke asks, going back to sorting through his textbooks.

“Times sure have changed. I’m pretty popular with the girls now. They can see what a cool guy I am,” Naruto is bragging and he feels no shame at all about it. Sasuke doesn’t grace him with a response, so Naruto rubs salt in the wound further, “I kinda feel sorry for you. Haven’t seen you get anything lately.”

Slamming his locker door shut, Sasuke turns so they’re now face to face. There’s anger radiating off him when he finally answers, “I’m not interested in pathetic gifts like that.”

“Whoa, chill out,” raising his hands up, Naruto stares at Sasuke in mild surprise. Usually, he didn’t fire up so quickly when Naruto teased him like this. Just shrugged it off and ignored him. This was new.

Some of Sasuke’s fire dims, and he adjusts his backpack over his shoulders. Wanting to diffuse the tension, Naruto says in jest, “Kinda sounds like you _are_ jealous.”

“I’m not.”

*

The next time they meet, Sasuke acts weird again.

It’s after class, and their little group gathers together in their favorite nook of the library to have a catch-up/study session. It was a small room with cushions and beanbags on the ground.

“Naruto, over here!” Sakura is waving at him from her spot on the floor, and she stands up when he gets closer.

“You sit next to Sasuke,” he doesn’t get given a choice when Sakura’s hands land on his shoulders, pushing him down to a sitting position right next to Sasuke.

Sasuke eyes him warily, then ventures a question, “You didn’t come to biology. Where were you?”

“I had a meeting with the student council,” Naruto’s mouth curves into a grin, and he leans in closer, bumping his shoulders against Sasuke, “Aww, did you miss me? I know you must’ve been bored without my amazingly awesome presence to keep you entertained.”

Shrugging, Sasuke says, “The class was quiet. I could finally take notes in peace.”

“Ah, that reminds me. Since it wasn’t planned, I kinda need to catch up on that class. Can I borrow your notes?” Naruto asks, a hopeful smile on his lips.

Sasuke’s answer is immediate, “No. Get them from someone else.”

“But, Sasuke! Please! We both know you makes the best notes of anyone in that class. I’d be a pretty big moron to go to anyone else.” Naruto begs of him, his hands pressed flat together in front of himself, like a prayer.

“That’s right. Aren’t you getting more popular lately, Naruto?” Ino asks, perking up whenever the topic of gossip came about.

Sasuke tenses beside him when she says that, and Naruto wonders why that is.

“Guess my charm’s finally paying off!” he answers, framing his chin in a v-shape with his thumb and first finger.

“I never imagined the Naruto I grew up with would become such high stakes material. I’m almost proud of you,” Ino jokes, a teasing smile on her lips.

Laughing, Naruto laps up the praise, “Pretty sure I’m more popular than Sasuke, now.”

Naruto glances over at Sasuke smugly, expecting a biting response. However, Sasuke is silent, and looking down at his notebook. His eyebrows are furrowed, and he’s gripping his pen so tightly he can hear the plastic cracking. For the second time, Naruto is puzzled at why Sasuke’s acting this way.

*

They’re in biology, working on an experiment together. It’s when Naruto is measuring out the chemicals into the test tubes that he feels Sasuke looking at him. Again. When he’s done, he decides to bring it up, “Y’know, you keep staring at me lately. Have you got a crush on me too?”

Sasuke snorts, jotting down some numbers in his exercise book, “Stop being so arrogant.”

“Hey, come on! I’m not that bad, y’know. It’s okay even if you’re a guy, I don’t care about that sort of thing.”

That actually gets a reaction from Sasuke. He stiffens, pausing from his work _(a rarity)_ to look up at Naruto questionably, “You don’t?”

Naruto chuckles at him, shaking his head, “Of course not! That just makes me even more popular, right? People can like whoever they want, and it’s not like we get a choice anyway.”

“So just admit it,” Naruto teases, grinning wide as he waits for Sasuke to snap and lose his cool, “You like me, don’t you?”

His blue eyes bugged out of his head, and Naruto couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Sasuke was…blushing?

That was _not_ the reaction he’d expected.

It wasn’t obvious and could be easily missed if you didn’t look closely enough. Hints of pink filled out his cheeks. Even when he was embarrassed, Sasuke maintained a cool appearance.

“As if, idiot.”

Naruto gapes at him like a fish, open-mouthed and wide-eyed. He doesn’t watch as he pours the beaker, and accidentally mixes the incorrect chemicals together. The concoction explodes in his face, snapping him out of his dazed state and into a more panicked one.

Sasuke hurries to clean up the mess, “Naruto! Look what you’ve done! The experiment’s ruined now!”

“You’re worried about that? What about my face!?” Naruto demands, pulling off his goggles and staggering over to the eyewash station.

_*_

From then on, Naruto’s thoughts revolved around Sasuke...a lot more than usual.

_A lot more. _

He’d known Sasuke since they were 8 years old. They had grown up side by side, whether they liked it or not. There was only a handful of people in his life that Naruto shared this with, and Sasuke being one of them was something he’d come to accept as inevitable.

Naruto’s mother had passed away during childbirth, and his father had died 4 years later in a car crash. Naruto’s godfather, Jiraiya, then showed up in his life and became his legal guardian.

Sasuke’s parents died in a car crash when they were in second grade. Sasuke had been in the car as well and had survived. Luckily, Sasuke’s older brother, Itachi, was elsewhere at the time. So, he was able to take custody of Sasuke.

It was one of the few things they had in common. Both of them were the only orphans in their grade, and it felt really low, but it made Naruto kind of glad. He wasn’t on his own in this. People dared not say anything against him having no parents, because to make fun of him would be making fun of Sasuke.

Speaking of Sasuke, Naruto catches sight of him walking across campus. Curiosity overtaking him, Naruto runs over.

“Hey, Sasuke!”

“What is it?” Sasuke asks, and Naruto matches his pace as they head across the field.

“You never answered me from the other day,” clearing his throat, Naruto tries not to sound too eager when he asks, “So, if you had to pick one or the other, would you say you hate me, or like me?”

“I don’t hate anyone, so there’s your answer.”

“But like, if you had to say specifically, what do you like most about me?” Naruto insists, hurrying to explain himself, “I mean, is it something I can work on? If you think it’s my best feature, maybe I can make it even better. People value your opinion, yeah?”

Glancing at him, Sasuke says reassuringly, “I don’t like you for your intelligence, so there’s no need to worry.”

Grinning in relief, Naruto nods, “Ah, thanks!”

“Hey, wait,” Naruto frowns, screwing his face up as he processed and re-processed Sasuke’s words, “Bastard! That wasn’t a compliment!”

“You moron!” Sasuke says, laughter ringing in his voice like a sweet melody.

Naruto stopped, and stared.

Sasuke was laughing. He hadn’t ever made Sasuke laugh like this before. A derisive snort, sure, or a condescending grunt of amusement. Hell, Naruto hadn’t even seen Sasuke laugh once in all the years he’s known him. This was the pure joy kind of laughter, and it shocked Naruto how good it looked on Sasuke’s face.

Sasuke was…_beautiful. _

The moment that thought crossed his mind Naruto felt butterflies in his stomach. _Oh shit,_ Naruto’s hand slapped lightly against his face and he realized how hot it felt. He was bright red, and his heart was beating too fast. Sasuke was still laughing, a radiant smile on his lips and his eyes shut and crinkled at the corners.

In his heart, Naruto knew what this was. Like the moment when the sun shines on you just right, Sasuke was shining so brightly before him.

Naruto could see things now that he’d been blind to before. Like how Sasuke would look at him when he thought Naruto wasn’t paying attention, watching him silently for a few seconds and then remembering himself, averting his gaze. The way Sasuke showed concern for him, how he’d mask that concern with a layer of irritation, trying not to let his feelings show.

“I like you, Sasuke,” Naruto blurts out, and they both stop still on the spot. Even with his heart pounding in his ears, he keeps going.

“I’m, ah, sorta an idiot,” mussing his hair up at the back of his head, Naruto shoots him a sheepish grin, “so it took me a while to figure it out. How I felt, y’know?”

“But, I…” Naruto stopped, inhaled deeply, and moved in closer, “I don’t wanna lose you. I don’t wanna be forgotten by you, either. I just want…”

“I want for us to be together,” he confesses, and the words feel so right, “you and me, we’re connected. I dunno what it is, but I know that it’s strong. You inspire me to be a better person all the time. Heck, I never would have dreamed I could get into Konoha University. But because you’re going there, I knew I had to go, too.”

“Even if I’m not super impressive or anything, I’d be a great boyfriend,” Naruto rambles, the nerves building, “I already have tons of great ideas for a date! Since you’re a picky bastard, it wasn’t easy.”

“A date?” Sasuke repeats, the word rolling off his tongue so wonderfully.

“Yeah! What, you don’t want to?” Naruto asks him, trying not to sound defensive but knowing he failed.

Sasuke counters him, “Are you asking me?”

“Huh? A-Ah, well, I–” Naruto stutters, fumbles over his words in a moment of self-doubt. But, he quickly shakes himself out of it. Sasuke had never intimidated him before, and it wasn’t about to start now!

“Yeah! You bet I am!”

“Okay,” Sasuke says, and everything tilts under the smile on his face. It’s a sweet smile, lips quirked lightly, and Naruto is speechless when he continues, “I’ll go on a date with you.”

Pause. Then, it sinks in, and Naruto releases an ecstatic laugh, “Great!”

Sasuke nods, then adds, “It’s my choice, though.”

*

“This is your idea for a date!?” Naruto exclaims, staring in open-mouthed horror at the empty classroom and notes staring down at him on the projector.

Sasuke graces him with a side-eyed glance, “If we’re together, then it shouldn’t matter what we do. Isn’t that right? Just because you’re close to graduating doesn’t mean you can slack off now.”

So, for the next two hours, he and Sasuke stayed behind studying. It wasn’t so bad with Sasuke sitting next to him, giving Naruto a chance to stare at his pretty face up close. But, whenever he got too distracted, he’d get scolded with one of Sasuke’s death glares and a serving of the silent treatment.

“I don’t think I can blink normally. All those freaky formulas are tattooed on my eyeballs,” Naruto rubs around his eyes as they leave the school, trying to get rid of that stinging feeling from keeping them open for too long.

Sasuke hums, nodding in approval, “That’s good.”

“You did well. Thanks for your hard work, idiot,” then, Sasuke smiles at him, and that’s a better reward than Naruto ever could have expected.

Then he faced forward, waiting for the crossing to change from red to green. Naruto was still looking at him, an uneasy thrumming starting in his chest. Would they part ways from here? Was this it? Even if their date hadn’t been romantic or exciting, it was still their date. Their first date. Being with Sasuke, just the two of them studying, some parts had been boring as hell. But…

_But I don’t want it to be over yet. _

Squeezing his hand in a tight fist, he let it go and began moving his hand over towards Sasuke. When the tips of his fingers bumped gently against the back of Sasuke’s hand, Naruto didn’t hesitate and snatched it up in his own. He could feel Sasuke’s eyes on him but looked steadfastly ahead.

“Fine, then! I’ll walk you home!” Naruto declares, squeezing their joined hands decisively.

He can hear Sasuke’s brain jamming to a halt, as he tries to form a response, “I didn’t–”

“Don’t worry, Naruto Uzumaki will make your day awesome until the end. That’s a promise!”

And then, they’re looking at each other. Silence passes between them, and the person above the crossing turns green, but they still don’t move.

“Do what you want,” Sasuke mumbles, and when he doesn’t let go Naruto feels on top of the world.

*

Their next date was left in Naruto’s hands. And boy, did he work hard to plan it just right!

Right now, they were sitting in the park after having just watched a movie in the cinemas. Cherry blossoms were in bloom around them. It was a total cliche and Naruto knew it, but the sappy side of him melted at the romantic sight. The petals of the pink flower are plucked from the branches, and are sent scattering in the wind. It’s almost like a dance, the way the petals flutter and float in the air.

Naruto sighs dreamily at the sight. Boy, was he glad that he’d convinced (dragged) Sasuke out of school for this. Since they both had no classes scheduled on a Friday afternoon, they’d ditched school and studying to go for another date. Well, Naruto was calling it a date. Sasuke kept referring to it as ‘kidnapping’, and put on airs like usual. Naruto wasn’t stupid enough to believe it. If Sasuke really wanted to leave, he would have disappeared ages ago. It was actually kind of cute how he was trying to act aloof, when Naruto had _totally _caught him smiling during the movie.

“Man, why are you always such a health nerd?” Naruto asks, screwing his face up at Sasuke’s drink of choice. It was a plain old jasmine and green tea, iced.

Sasuke scoffs, tilting his head to send Naruto a disapproving look, “Your body requires proper nutrients in order to thrive. I still don’t know where all your energy comes from. You eat like a pig.”

“Hey, shut up! I better not hear you say anything bad about ramen. You know it’s the food of the gods, right?”

There’s a moment of silence between them, nothing but the distant voices of other people in the park and the tweeting of birds to be heard. Naruto finds himself drawn back to Sasuke, who is looking out across the park, lost in his own thoughts.

“Hey, Sasuke. Did you ever, ah, y’know,” Naruto pauses, messing up the hair at the back of his head as he rubbed it sheepishly, “ever kiss anyone before?”

Though he seems caught off guard from the question by the way his eyes widen, Sasuke answers him, “Yes.”

Attention caught, Naruto leans forward expectantly, “Who?”

“You.”

“Gah, no! That’s not what I mean!” Naruto screws up his face, cringing at the mere memory of that kiss when they were twelve. It was more like their lips had been smashed together than actual kissing. He continues, “I meant like, like other people? Anyone in school? Or, just, anyone?”

Dismissive, Sasuke looks away from him, “It doesn’t matter.”

“It does! Come on, don’t be a jerk!” Naruto complains, pushing up against Sasuke. There’s no way he’s letting this go!

Eventually, Sasuke relents, swinging his head over to look at Naruto angrily, “No. I didn’t. Are you happy?”

Silence. Their eyes met and skittered away from each other. Naruto was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, a habit he’d had since childhood. His cheeks burned in embarrassment, but also with something else. A fluttery feeling in his stomach, and sweat beading on his palms, Naruto hadn’t experienced this feeling in a long time.

Swallowing past the lump in his throat, Naruto takes a deep breath and asks, “C-Can I kiss you?”

“...What?” Sasuke is openly shocked, and Naruto feels his nerves jumble.

“I just really want to. But if you don’t want to, then that’s cool. I mean, I’m not gonna pressure you or anything. I would never do something like–”

“Alright,” Sasuke interrupts before he can finish, a soft blush filling his cheeks. 

They’re so close. They’re so close, and Naruto feels himself being drawn in by an invisible thread. A thread that was tugging on the other end, wanting him to come closer. His eyes slipped closed at the same moment their lips met.

“You’re pretty good. Y’know, for a kissing virgin,” Naruto teases him when they pull back, can’t resist doing it. Sasuke could be a gloating bastard when it suited him, so Naruto would absolutely rub this in his face.

But, as usual, Sasuke has a comeback ready for him, “You lack the finesse and skill I expected for someone who has had more experience with this type of thing. I pity the girls you kissed.”

“Wh-_WHAT!?”_

Sasuke was smirking at him, and competitiveness welled up inside Naruto. He’d make Sasuke eat his own words, and moved in again. Their next kiss started off fierce and enthusiastic, with Naruto pushing his lips against Sasuke’s, with Sasuke pressing back just as zealously. Naruto wasn’t sure who started it, but the kiss gradually began to slow down. Their mouths moved together in tandem, heads tilting to the side to angle the kiss better and deepen it.

_Damn it, I really am in deep. _

_I like you so much, Sasuke._

*

Before they knew it, exams were there, done and graduation day was upon them. Naruto was being pulled into photos every five seconds, and he could never refuse his classmates on their graduation day.

Parents were fussing over their children, some taking photos and some wiping away tears of joy. The old man couldn’t make it today, but Naruto wouldn’t let himself get too down about it. After all, Jiraiya had promised to take him out for all-you-can-eat ramen when he returned. The best graduation gift, really.

Still, Naruto felt the absence of his parents most at times like this. He missed them, he always would. This was one of the biggest days of his life, a milestone, and he couldn’t share it with his parents. No one could understand, no one except…

Naruto straightened, his eyes darting around everywhere. Sasuke, as expected, was nowhere to be found. Naruto really wanted to see him. So, once he had a moment alone, he slipped away from the fray.

He eventually finds Sasuke sitting like some sort of photogenic model on top of the grassy hill near the basketball court.

Cupping both hands around his mouth, Naruto takes in a deep breath and yells, “OI, SASUKE!”

He sees Sasuke lift his head, and scan for the source of his name. When those eyes land on him, Naruto beams, giving him a wave using his whole arm. Jogging up the slope with the cool breeze playing across his face, Naruto feels like he can keep running forever. But, he stops when he finally reaches Sasuke, panting slightly and bending over his knees to catch his breath.

“End of an era, right?” he says, raising his head to grin happily at Sasuke. Without waiting for a response, Naruto plops down beside him on the grass, “Man, I’m really curious. You think you’ll get a new fan club at university?”

“I don’t care about that,” Sasuke deadpans, and Naruto is inwardly relieved at the typical Sasuke response.

“Too bad for anyone who crushes on you. Since you’re already with the handsomest guy in Tokyo, they really don’t stand a chance!” Naruto says without a hint of modesty, sparkles emanating around him with the brilliance of his smile.

Sasuke tilts his head, intrigued, “Really? Who’s that?”

“EH!? What do you mean ‘who’s that?’” Naruto balks at the response, his eyebrows shooting to his hair indignantly, “You jerk! Of course, it’s me! Naruto Uzumaki!”

“Yeah, right,” Sasuke snots, shaking his head, then gestures between the two of them, “we don’t exactly look like a proper couple.”

“Geez, what’s a proper couple anyway? That’s stupid, and people who believe that are _stupid_!” Naruto grumbles, crossing his arms over his chest.

“People just assume things. Don’t worry about it,” Sasuke shrugs it off like it’s no big deal, but Naruto isn’t having any of that.

“I don’t want to see girls flirting with you all the time. I want everyone to know we’re together,” he protests, pouting terribly at his boyfriend.

“Feeling jealous?”

“N-No!”

Sasuke clicks his tongue, looking away, “It’s so obvious you are.”

“And if I am?” Naruto counters, puffing up his chest in a show of bravado.

“What are you going to do about it?” Is Sasuke’s response, a raised eyebrow accompanying his question.

Bolting upright, Naruto stands tall as he can on top of the hill. Cupping his hands around his mouth, Naruto starts shouting out loud, “Hey, listen up! I’m dating Sasuke Uchiha! That’s right! Me and Sasuke-”

Scrambling to his feet, Sasuke tries to cover his mouth, “You idiot! What are you doing!?”

“-we’re boyfriends! And I don’t care what anyone thinks about it! You’ll never stop our love-!”

“Shut up! Can you stop joking around for one minute and just-”

Taking his chance, Naruto ensnares Sasuke around the waist and pulls him in swiftly. He melds their lips together, closing his eyes with the last image he sees being Sasuke’s surprised face.

“I wasn’t joking,” Naruto murmurs, taking in Sasuke’s parted lips and slow blinking with satisfaction, “I mean it, Sasuke. We belong together. You know we do.”

Sasuke’s face softens then, the sight of it making Naruto’s heart beat faster, “I know. Even when I didn’t want to believe it, you always found ways to prove me wrong.”

This time, Naruto did not hesitate. Reaching for Sasuke’s hand, he entwined their fingers together. When Sasuke glanced over, Naruto was already looking at him. A warm grin settled on his lips, not like his usual bright ones. This was more intimate, a smile for Sasuke and Sasuke only.

Blinking back at him, Sasuke’s eyes shone like glittering black diamonds against the sunset.

“I’ll never stop chasing after you,” Naruto tells him, determined.

“No, I don’t want that,” shaking his head, Sasuke gently squeezes their joined hands together, “from now on, we walk together. Side by side.”

“I kinda like the sound of that,” Naruto returns the squeeze, even tighter this time, and revels in the way he and Sasuke fit so perfectly together. Like two sides of the same coin, like fire and wind, they belong with each other.

If he was with Sasuke, Naruto couldn’t ask for anything more.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Please comment/kudos below if you liked this story, I would love to hear from you!
> 
> \- Hime ♡♡♡


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